By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, August 27: Chinese authorities in Beijing have forced shut down the opening of Beijing Independent Film Festival scheduled on Saturday and forced the festival organizers to sign documents promising not to hold the festival again.
On Friday, a day before the festival, Chinese authorities detained three of the festival organizers – Li Xianting, Wang Hongwei and Fan Rong for about five hours forcing them to sign the documents.
Over a dozen Chinese police and security officials in plain clothes stood outside the office of the festival organizer on Saturday and prevented the filmmakers and public from entering the venue. The authorities also cut off the venue’s electricity supply and confiscated several belongings of Li Xianting after searching his office.
The Chinese authorities deployed at the venue, claiming to be villagers, also stopped anyone from taking pictures and videotaping, breaking a video camera of an Associated Press journalist in the scuffle and took away another AP journalist’s mobile phone, which was later returned.
This is not the first time that the festival has suffered interference from the Chinese authorities. In the past, the officials had cut off the electricity supply and forced to move the festival venue.
“The festival, which began in 2006, has seen severe police obstruction over the past few years, but this year’s crackdown is far more serious,” Associated Press quoted Wang, Artistic Director of the festival as saying.
“In the past few years, when they forced us to cancel the festival, we just moved it to other places, or delayed the screenings,” he said. “But this year, we cannot carry on with the festival. It is completely forbidden.”
The organizer of the festival received repeated warnings from government to cancel the festival that was supposed to run until the end of the month.
